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1UST BEFORE CHRISTMAS. 


THE STORY OF A GOOD 


LITTLE MOTHER. 


BY 

MRS. LUCY GIBBONS MORSE. 





BOSTON : 

D. LOTHROP & COMPANY, 


//, 


FRANKLIN ST., CORNER OF' HAWLEY. 

Sv <\\ 





Copyright, j88i, 


By D. Lothrop & Company. 


LC Control Number 



2008 461274 











THE STORY OF A GOOD 
LITTLE MOTHER. 


PART I. 



HE is my mother; and I call her little because I 


7 have grown so tall that, when we put our arms 
around each other, mine goes on top, and her eyes 
only come up as high as my mouth. 

I was seventeen on my last birthday; Roger will 
be fifteen to-morrow ; Helena is nine, and little Theo 
is six. 

Our home is in West ioth Street, and we think it is 
the prettiest one in New York; but that is only be¬ 
cause of a way mother has of telling us stories about 
everything, and the uglier a thing is, the prettier will 
be her story about it. We all thought—even Helena 
had the sense to think — that the statuette of the man 
in armor, down in the hall, was as stiff and ugly as 


THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


anything could be when aunt Margaret sent it to papa 
on his birthday. Aunt Margaret hasn't a bit of taste, 
if she has travelled in Europe — she doesn’t like any¬ 
thing unless it is all over gilt. But mother got us all 
around the gilded knight, and made up a bright old- 
fashioned story about his riding one day through the 
Black Forest, and coming suddenly to an open place 
where the sun shone in such a blaze of glory that it 
dazzled him and fixed an ugly scowl upon his face ; 
but from under his frowning eyebrows he saw a lady 
wondrously beautiful, and rescued her so nobly from 
a terrible fate that, when.; she had disappeared inside 
of her palace, to which he conducted her, and he re¬ 
turned to the forest, through the darkest and most 
fearful part of which he was obliged to go, he discov¬ 
ered that the sunshine had fastened its glory upon 
him, and it lighted him upon his way and saved him 
from danger. It will lead him back, in time, to the 
palace where he will get the fair lady for his bride, 
and, the moment she is his, the scowl will vanish for¬ 
ever from his face and he will be as handsome as 
king Arthur himself. 

In some such pleasant way mother makes us satis- 





THE STORY OF A GOOD LTTTLE MOTHER. 


fied with everything in the house, and, listening to her 
fancies, we forget that our things are cheap and 
homely. 

We used to live on Madison Square in such a beau¬ 
tiful house that papa’s artist friends used to take peo¬ 
ple there to look at our rooms, the tiled fire-places 
and draperies. It seems like looking back to a sort 
of Fairy-land to think of that house now. 

The story about my mother begins in that house. 

I don’t know the exact day, but it was about a week 
before Christmas, and we were expecting so many fine 
presents that we could scarcely wait for the day to 
come. When we went out and saw the shop-windows, 
with their Santa Clauses, dolls of every kind, but es¬ 
pecially the fuzzy-headed, baby-faced child-dolls, with 
their cradles and baskets and furniture, the tin kitchens 
and the dishes — every sort of household article in 
miniature, Helena and Theo could not keep their 
feet from gay little skips and jumps. They would cry 
out at every new thing they saw, and were so happy 
that it took no more than the fluttering end of a 
chance ribbon, hanging outside of a shop-door, to set 
them off into a flurry of talk and laughter which made 


THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


every passer-by look at them and smile. And it 
would have been just ridiculous not to laugh with 
them. Even Joanna Grimby, the girl who took care 
of them, could not help a faint smile now and then, 
and she never smiled unless, as papa said, “ the screws 
were put on ! ” 

As for Roger — oh, it was the best fun to go out 
with him ! Only papa would not let him and me go 
alone together, because we used to get into such gales 

of laughter. But papa himself was just as bad of an 

# 

evening, when he would go with us ! I wasn’t afraid 
then to clasp my hands over his arm and to take little 
dancing steps myself sometimes; and when Rodge 
mimicked the expressions on the masks in the toy¬ 
shops, papa laughed until he had to stop and wipe his 
eyes. 

Then, when we came home and found mamma at 
work in the great square parlor, it was the best 
fun of all to tell her how badly papa had be¬ 
haved, and to hear him say, shaking his head very 
gravely : 

“ Mamma dear, these children are a disgrace to 
us ! Rodger might get a position as clown in any cir- 





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THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


cus, and Rachel has no dignity whatever ! I shall 
have to give her a serious lecture.” 

And he would make me sit on his knee, and pre¬ 
tend to scold me in such a delightful way that we 
were all merry together. Then I would play on the 
piano, and afterwards Rodge and I would sing, papa 
joining in with his bass. We sang college songs es¬ 
pecially for Rodge. He was so full of preparing for 
college that he scarcely talked of anything else except 
bicycles. 

Mother liked the Scotch songs best. Her soft, 
pure voice always joined in with ours in the last verse 
of “ The Birks of Aberfeldy : ” 

“Let Fortune’s gifts at random flee, 

They ne’er shall draw a wish frae me, 

Supremely blest wi’ love and thee, 

In the birks of Aberfeldy.” 

But “ The Ingleside ” was our good-night song. 
Mother always came and stood by us to sing that, 
and our voices would make the house ring when we 
came to the last two lines : 

“ Rut rarer, fairer, finer far 
Is the ingleside to me ! ” 


THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


We were all very fond of music, and I used to prac¬ 
tise very hard, for I was to have a grand piano at 
Christmas, and my teacher, Herr Neuftel, had given 
me Beethoven’s Sonata in E flat major to learn, and 
wanted me to surprise papa by playing it on my new 
piano. 

“ To give ze instrument a beautiful christening,” he 
said, “ and to express, mit ze notes of ze great mas¬ 
ter, ze gratitude vot ze tongue of Fraiilein Rachel vill 
not pe aple to speak ! ” I think the good professor 
was as much interested in the plan as if he were my 
father himself. 

Geraldine Courtney made fun of him, and thought it 
absurd of mamma to invite him to the house and treat 
him as a friend of the family. It was Mrs. Courtney 
who recommended him to mamma, and who said one 
evening, as if she were uttering a very noble senti¬ 
ment, that she never admitted into her house as 
friends people whom she hired in any capacity. I 
was angry; but mamma only said—and she looked 
like a queen beside Mrs. Courtney when she 
said it — that she never admitted into her house 





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THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


as instructors to her children people whom she 
was not glad to receive as friends. 

Mamma was always lovely to Geraldine, but I know 
she never took any real pleasure then in our 
friendship, and that she thought Geraldine friv¬ 
olous. But I did so like sometimes. to dress up 
in her jewelry and look at all her fine things; 
and she was as affectionate as any one could 
be. She was going to have her first diamonds at 
Christmas, and thought it so funny that I cared 
for a grand piano. She said that I was learning so 
fast that I’d really need one in a little while, and 
that, of course, papa would give me one ; that she 
should think I would so much rather have something 
to wear — a ball-dress for instance. 

I did not tell her that papa would not let me 
wear ball dresses or jewelry; I only said, enlarging 
upon Herr Neuftel’s pretty idea, that it would be such 
fun to be saying, “Thank you! ” every day by playing 
for papa the music which he liked best, and to make 
the whole family share my present with me. 

But I must go back to my story about mamma. 

It was, as I said, a week before Christmas, and the 


THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


presents which we were making for papa and mamma 
were about finished. Rodge had made, with his box 
of tools, really a beautiful box for papa and a bracket 
for mamma. Helena had painted, wonderfully for 
a child of nine, a little panel for mamma ; and she 
and Theo had hemmed papa six handkerchiefs which 
they had been at work on for more than so many 
weeks. We had not been on our shopping expedi¬ 
tions, because we each wanted to go separately with 
mamma, and she had promised that, if we would 
wait until the last week, she would give most of her 
time to us. Papa and I were to go out alone togeth¬ 
er some evening to get what we wanted foi 
her. 

I was practising my sonata one morning when I 
heard papa’s key in the front door. I ran to meet 
him, but he hurried by me up-stairs, went into mam¬ 
ma’s sitting-room, and shut the door. I did not re¬ 
member his ever coming home at that hour before, 
and it troubled and hurt me so, his not speaking, 
that I could not practise. I went to my desk in the 
study and began to work at my Latin; but the worry 
in my mind grew so that in a little while I could 








THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


not tell the difference between “ donum cxitiale ” 
and “ exitus." 

I listened at the foot of the stairs, but could only 
hear the low murmur of their voices now and then. 
The children were at school, and the whole house was 
in utter silence. I walked up and down the parlors, 
and worked myself up into a painful state of worry. 
But half an hour went by, and then an hour, and by 
and by, when there was still no sound, I began to 
persuade myself that I was a goose, and that I ought 
not to trouble myself about what did not concern 
me. 

“ If either of them were ill,” I suddenly said to my¬ 
self, “ bells would have been ringing, messengers fly¬ 
ing about, and I’d be up there, of course ! And if 
they are not ill , nothing very terrible can be the 
matter ! 

So I put aside my books and went back to the piano. 
It was so good to feel the worry gone from my mind, 
that on my way from the study back to the parlor, I 
laughed a little triumphant laugh up at the gilded 
knight on his high bracket in the darkest corner of 
the hall, and said to him, “ A blaze of glory has come 


THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


down all over me too, Sir Knight. You can’t have 
all the sunshine to yourself! ” 

I could not practise the sonata, because I was afraid 
papa would hear it; so I sat down and sang, just 
from pure happiness, every word of our dear “ Ingle- 
side: ” 

“ Oh, ’tis rare to see the morning blaze 
Like a bonfire frae the sea, 

An’ ’tis fair to see the burny kiss 
The lips o’ the flowery lea. 

And fine it’s on the green hillside, 

Where hums the hinny-bee ; 

But rarer, fairer, finer far, 

Is the ingleside to me. 


Glens may be gilt wi’ gowans fair, 

The birds may fill the tree, 

And haughs hae a’ the scented ware 
That simmer growth can gie. 

But the canty hearth where cronies meet, 

An’ the darling o’ our ee — 

They make to me the warl’ complete — 

Oh, the ingleside to me ! ” 

I finished my song, and listened again to the still¬ 
ness. In a moment I heard mamma call me. Her 
voice is always pleasant when she calls one of us, but 



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THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


my name never sounded so sweetly to me before. I ran 
up-stairs with winged feet, but at the door of mamma’s 
room I stood still ! Papa sat with his head turned 
away from me, but my mother — my little mother — 
stood beside him like the most lovely statue, it 
seemed to me, that even heaven could make. Her 
face was white as the driven snow, and lighted by 
such a smile as I had never seen upon it. I could 
not move — it was so beautiful! It was happy — 
triumphant—yet there was something in it that 
made my heart feel like breaking. She was reaching 
out her hands to me, and said again, “ Rachel! ” 

She let me throw my arms around her and press 
my cheek against her head as I held it in my neck for 
a moment. Then she sat by papa again, and, never 
moving her eyes from mine, she drew me .down on my 
knees before her. And she took my face between 
her hands, and said — oh, I think I can remember her 
exact words ! They are written in my heart, just as 
the glorious look upon her face is written there, never, 
never to be forgotten. 

“ Rachel,” said my mother, “ we love papa so 
dearly — you and I! and we are loving him more 


THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


at this moment, while I tell you of the blow which has 
fallen -upon us, than we ever did in our lives be¬ 
fore ! my child, we have lost all our property this 
morning! We cannot go out to buy our Christmas 
gifts. Your grand piano will not come to you. We 
must leave this pleasant home and send all our pretty 
things away to be sold. We must find a little home 
somewhere, and make it comfortable with as little 
as we can. Look into papa’s face, dear, strong, 
noble child ! Speak to him now and tell him what 
I know so well — that his child Rachel will not 
grieve, but will be a brave comfort and a help to 
him ! ” 

I don’t know what I said ! There was a blur be¬ 
fore everything for an instant, but I was close in 
papa’s arms, and the terrible look of pain in his face 
changed into one that was nothing but joy. 

We said only a few words to one another for a 
while; and then we talked about our plans. And it 
was so good to see my father and mother look 
brighter for my poor little words that — I can’t ex¬ 
plain it — maybe it was because I could not realize 
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THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


even if I was hard-hearted about it — but something 
made me feel so happy that, after we had been talk¬ 
ing a long time, still on my knees before them, I 
straightened myself up and spoke of the piano with a 
real laugh ! 

“ Why, papa,” I said, “ Herr Neuftel says the finest 
piano in the whole world is only a machine, after 
all! The music that comes out of it depends alto¬ 
gether upon the muscian. He says the music 
must be here .” And I laid my hand on my breast. 
“ So you see, papa, that it is only the machine, and 
not the music, that we shall be without. For you 
can’t get rid of me, and you cannot stop my singing, 
even if we have no piano at all! ” 

Father smiled upon me sadly, kissed me and said, 
“ Ah, my darling ! The hardest thing the fathers 
and mothers have to do in life is to ask their children 
to suffer with them ! ” 

Then he called me his “ brave-hearted little woman,” 
and told me that the pain had been almost too great 
to bear until I had begun to sing down-stairs, and 
mamma had opened the door and bade him only 
listen to “ The Ingleside ,” ard that my bright song had 


THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 

been like the touch of heaven upon his grief. 

I felt so proud and grand when he said that! 
I suppose I ought to have been half heart-broken, 
but I felt as happy as a May-queen. 

Presently mamma said that the children would 
be coming home and that I had better order their 
dinner. She followed me out of the room, and asked 
me if I could contrive any way to prevent them from 
talking to papa about their Christmas presents. I 
said that would be easy enough, but I really did not 
know in the least how to do it. But they are such 
good little girls! When they came in, chattering 
and laughing, it was a Help to me to take off their 
things myself and rub my face against their cheeks. 

I did not know any other way to stop their 
talking than by asking them to promise not to 
say a word about Christmas to any one except 
to Rodge and me, and I was very much tak¬ 
en aback when they jumped up and down with 
delight, and immediately took it for granted that 
he and I were getting up a grand surprise for every¬ 
body ! However, I knew he would help me, so I left 
them, to run and watch at the parlor window for him. 


PART II. 


IT THEN I saw Rodge coming I opened the door 
* * before he had a chance to ring; so we had 
a good talk without anybody finding it out. 

Rodge was magnificent. He wouldn’t cry a single 
tear, but was full of the nicest plans in no time. 

“ Never mind how we choose to feel when we’re 
alone, Ray,” he said, “ we must keep stiff upper lips 
when father and mother are round. And as for the 
youngsters — it’ll be easy enough to manage them. 
If they think we’re going to astonish ’em, why, come 
along, and let’s do it! With my box of tools, and 
your bright colored rags and tags, and a week ahead 
of us, it’s a pity if we can’t get up something to sat¬ 
isfy two girls like Nell and Theo ! If they were 
boys, nothing short of bycicles ’d do for ’em, but I 
never saw a girl that couldn’t be humbugged by a few 


THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


baby-house jigs — and, if we go to 7 vork and don’t 
waste time moaning over spilt milk, why we can 
cheat ’em into having just as good a time as they 
have had any Christmas. And, I tell you, if father and 
mother see them jolly, and if you and I don’t slump — 
why they'll be jolly too — you see if they won’t! ” 

It was splendid of Rodge to talk like that, for 
I knew that he had set his heart on having a “ first- 
class bycicle ” just as much as I had mine on having 
a piano. I couldn’t help just a little bit of water 
coming into my eyes and owning up to him, by say¬ 
ing : “No, Rodge, it would be better if they were 
boys, for then they’d be like you, but girls want 
grand pianos ! ” 

“No they don’t, Ray !” persisted Rodge stoutly. 
“ They’re regular bricks when they can't have what 
they want! Boys are pigs! But come along and 
let’s begin work for the children ! ” 

So we ran up to Rodge’s little work-shop in the 
attic, and soon had our plans laid for a set of baby- 
house furniture which I was to adorn with cushions, 
tiny spreads and table-covers, made from my bright¬ 
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THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


Rodge was as good for us all as a visit from the 
real old Santa Klaus would have been. Before the 
children’s bed-time, he romped so with them that 
they did not mind papa’s not doing it, or notice his 
being so quiet. He whispered to me once to ask if I 
thought the noise and laughter made papa and 
mamma feel worse; but I only told him to look at 
mamma. 

There she sat, very near to papa, with her pretty 
work in her hands, as if nothing had happened ; and, 
whenever she looked at us, there was the same beau¬ 
tiful smile which I had seen up stairs upon her face. 

When the children were taken off to bed, she sud¬ 
denly threw down her work, (she had not done a 
stitch of it!) moved her low chair before the fire, and 
held out her arms to Rodge and me. In an instant 
we were sitting on the floor on either side of her, and 

papa drew his arm-chair up near us too. 

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“ Nothing is hard to bear when we help one an¬ 
other so — is it, papa dear ? ” she said, in her bright¬ 
est voice. 

And then we had another talk; and, what with hei 
cheeriness, and Rodge making us all laugh with his 


THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


plans for supporting the family himself, we were almost 
quite happy when we said good-night to one another. 

Rodge and I had a good time with our Christmas 
preparations ; and by keeping our economical devices 
secret we saved father and mother a good deal. Just 
once, through my stupid blundering, I know I made 
poor mamma suffer. I had to buy some Japanese 
candles — the only decorations which we purchased 
for the tree — and, thinking a walk out in the crisp, 
sunny morning would do her good, I coaxed mamma 
to go. I did not think of the pain to her until, after 
getting my candles at the back end of a large store, I 
turned and saw her looking at a lovely French baby- 
doll, lying in its cradle, like any little new-born 
princess. There were some children looking at it too, 
their faces lighted up with delight and eagerness. In 
their faces was the joy of expectation, but in 
mamma’s there was only a pitiful longing that sent a 
sharp pain through me. She was thinking of Helena 
aud Theo; and “ Oh ! ” I thought, as something 
choked me, “ the look upon her face is maybe what 
we will see upon theirs when they discover their poor 
little gifts ! ” 






















THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


But I worked my way through the crowd, back to 
mamma, and knew better every moment, as we 
hurried home, what a mistake I had made in taking 
her with me. Although it was all in the sunshine, I 
remember that walk as the saddest one I ever took. 
For the faces of the mothers haunt me. I saw in so 
many the look I had seen upon mamma’s! I dis¬ 
covered a new trouble in the world. It was stupid of 
me never to have seen it before, but I noticed then, 
for the first time, that children, no matter how poor 
they are, look at even the costliest toys with the pos¬ 
sibility, by some accident, of coming into possession 
of them: but the mothers have no hope — only long¬ 
ing in their faces! And their longing is all for 
somebody else — not themselves — and that is so 
much harder to bear ! 

But, after all, the children had more fun, if they 
had fewer toys, and were as happy as ever they were 
at Christmas time. 

There was nothing on the tree of any value at 
all except the baubles we had saved from last year. 
But papa himself had cut out quantities of little 
paper animals and grotesque figures, and mamma 


THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


told such pretty stories about them that the children 
were as eager for them as they usually were for hand¬ 
some toys. 

Our baby-house furniture was a great success too ; 
and we presented our offerings to mamma and papa 
with a great deal of ceremony which made fun for 
everybody*. Rodge cut up all sorts of capers, and 
made everything pass off in a jolly way. He insisted 
upon our singing “ The Ingleside ” before the children 
went to bed, and we did sing it! Helena strained 
all the cords in her neck and grew red in the face 
with the mighty effort which she made, while little 
Theo came out half a line behind everybody, but 
would not omit a word — all of which made the song 
go off more merrily than ever. 

Well, all through the trials of the next few weeks 
mamma went about the house like sunshine. I said 
many a time that she had told us the story all wrong 
about the gilded knight, for it was over her that the 
sun had showered its golden glory, and that it was 
fixed upon her forever. 

She did all the difficult things — telling the servants 
and discharging most of them, so cheerfully that 



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THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


our Joanna said “it was just the minister of 
the parish that couldn’t do better himself ! ” 
Joanna came into my room, as cross and snappish 
as if I had done something dreadful, and, with her 
eyes and nose as red as could be from crying, said : 

“ Miss Rachil, it ain’t no use to tell ?ne to go, 
for I won’t do nothing o’ the kind ! ” 

4 

Joanna had a way of jerking out the last part of a 
sentence in a sudden, quick way, and she said 
“ nothing o’ the kind,” as if she wanted to throw the 
words at my head. “ It wouldn’t be a week,” she 
went on, angrily, “before Helena’d be leaving her 
gloves in — the coal-scuttle, for all I know ! And 
all the rest of her things ’d be slung round promis¬ 
cuous ! I’ve just got her and Theodora into proper, 
respectable ways, and I can’t have ’em untaught for 
nobody! And it’s other business as you and your 
ma’ll have to attend to. Your ma! She talked as 
if the misforchin was ourn, ’cause o’ losing our places! 
As if we couldn’t get other ones ! And what’s she to 
do, I’d like to know ? Suppose you gave her warn¬ 
ing! And Miss Helena and Theodora! Maybe 
they'd better leave! No, Miss Rachil! I sha’n’t say 


THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


a word to your ma — she’s got a plenty to think of — 
but I’m going to stay with her as long as I’m fit for 
work! And I don’t think o’giving that up yet —so 
I wish you to understand! ” And she hugged me so 
tight when I threw myself into her arms, that I could 
scarcely breathe, and, before I could say a word, she 
bounced out of the room. 

So everything went along very well, and Rodge and 
I only “ slumped ” (as he called it) once. But that 
didn’t made any difference, for nobody knew of it but 
just ourselves. 

It was before Herr Neuftel’s first visit after papa’s 
failure. Mother did not mention my giving up my 
lessons, and I had made up my mind that I would 
spare her the pain by dismissing Herr Neuftel myself. 
I meant to do it as coolly as possible; but while I 
was waiting in the parlor for him, suddenly a great 
big, quick tear fell upon my hand. Then I couldn’t 
help it! In a moment I heard a sound, and thinking 
some one was coming, as quick as thought I rushed to 
the heavy curtain which separated the two parlors. 
I straightened myself upright against the wall, holding 
the drapery around me and tight over my mouth, for 








































































THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


I could not help the sobs from coming fast. Nobody 
came, but presently I felt something touch my foot. 
There, right by me, was Rodge, flat on his face on the 
floor, crying too, to break his heart! I sat down by 
him. “Rodge! Rodge!” I said, “don’t!” 

But he gasped out, shaking his head, “ Ray, it will 
come! Let’s have it out for good and all! ” 

So we both cried as hard as we could cry for 
awhile; and that was the only time we ever broke 
down. 

Fortunately Herr Neuftel was late, so that we had 
time to wash our faces and feel bright again before he 
came. 

Rodge said he would stand by me while I told the 
Professor. But oh, the relief!. As soon as I saw 
him I knew that he had heard all about us; and there 
was no need for me to say a word. I had but begun 
“I am sorry, Herr Neuftel, to stop my lessons— 
when he very hastily interrupted me. 

“O meine Fraulein! ” he said, “I will tell you zair 
is no need ! ” And then he went on to explain why 
my lessons ought to go on. He was so cheery, and 
bright, and funny, that we could not help laughing. 


THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


“I know Fraulein Rachel will be good to me,” he 
said, “ because dat I have tried to be good to her. 
And she vill let me come just de same to her house, 
and she vill take only vun lesson wunst in ze week, 
vizout ze pay — pecause it is true zat when Fraulein 
Rachel plays on ze piano her music vill say to peo¬ 
ples: ‘Ze lessons of Herr Neuftel are ze best in ze 
vorld for everybody! ’ and only for zat reason ze old 
professor vill have many pupils ! ” Then he warded 
off my expressions of gratitude by exclaiming : “ Ach! 
if I had only ze commant of ze English so good as ze 
leetle sister of Fraulein, I vould not be clumsy like 
my big, old bass-viol! ” 

So papa and he arranged my lessons between them, 
and he has been a good friend to us ever since. As 
soon as we were settled comfortably in this pretty 
little house, I began my lessons again. It was not 
until then that I played my sonata to papa. I made 
mamma tell him a story about it, as she did about 
everything, and she did it beautifully. She called the 
ending of it “Rachel’s Triumph;” and after I had 
finished it, and papa had thanked me for it over and 
over again, Herr Neuftel, who had come to dine with 


THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


us that evening, said that he had a reward for me, 
and asked if I would take two little pupils who 
Wanted to learn music. 

Would I ? I fairly danced with joy! 

And it was only the next day that we had another 
magnificent surprise. The door-bell rang, and in came 
— Geraldine Courtney! We had never expected to 
see her again, but she made Joanna tell her where we 
were; and came flying right into the sitting- 
room ! 

She flung her arms first around mother, and then 
around me, and cried and laughed over us until we 
got to crying and laughing too. But we made the 
laughing come out strongest. And she was such a 
warm-hearted, dear, generous goose, that she wanted 
mamma to take her diamonds which she had really 
got at Christmas, and which she had brought in a blue 
velvet case. 

They’d had a great talk about us at their house; 
and when she had said she meant to bring us the dia¬ 
monds, “mother objected a little,” she said — she 
never could help blurting out the truth — “ but father 
said he liked my grit —and if I cared more for 


THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


Rachel than I did for the diamonds, he was glad of 
it, and I might do as I pleased.” 

Of course we would not take them, but mamma 
told Geraldine that they were the only diamonds in 
the world which she would always delight to see, and 
that she should never see her wear them without 
thinking both them and her beautiful. 

Before she went away she asked me to give her 
little sister music-lessons; and she spoke to mamma, 
with her arms around me, blushing rosy red, and 
with her eyes full of tears : 

“You and Ray can’t change yourselves, but 
mother and all of us have altered a good deal, and 
we have decided that if Ray is going to teach, it turns 
our ideas about friendship all topsy-turvy ! ” 

And she brings Clara twice a week herself for the 
lessons, and mamma is happy in our intimacy now. 

I am earning enough money — all myself — to 
really help the best father and mother in the world. 
We do not go among the shops of an evening; but we 
have our walks, and Rodge and I bring papa home 
laughing, and still insisting we are unmanageable. 

Rodge is full of schemes, and is so delighted be- 






§*§ 





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^y coi 



Stl^ 





































































THE STORY OF A GOOD LITTLE MOTHER. 


cause, after all, he is to have his college education, 
that he declares he does not care a whit any more for 
a bycicle. That is a great, big story; but it is really 
true that I don't care for a grand piano ! 

Our chimney-places are not tiled, but we sit around 

# 

as bright a fire as we used; and we have so much more 
to tell to one another now, that it seems as if our 
talks were even cheerier than in the old days. 

So I really think that, taking all these things into 
account, we are happier than we ever were, and I 
know that my mother is the guiding star that makes 
us so. Papa said the other evening : “ She points the 
way, and where she leads we will follow, for her 
paths are all beautiful.” 

So, lead on, little, sunshiny mother ! 





Books of Merit. 


Young Folks’ History of Germany. By Charlotte 
M. Yonge. Very fully illustrated. L>. Lotlirop & Co., Bos¬ 
ton. Price $1.50. 

We welcome the set of Histories of which this is the initial 
volume. Since Dickens’ Child’s History of England, nothing 
so tempting has been offered to our young folks, and 
we predict that these volumes will displace the stories of 
fictitious and improbable adventures now found on many a 
boy’s bookshelf. Miss Yonge, while always boldly and 
continuously outlining the course of historical events, has the 
knack of seizing upon incidents which reveal the true char¬ 
acter of historical personages; thus she makes her narrative 
very pleasing, especially to a young reader. Indeed her 
History of Germany ought to satisfy the most ardent lover of 
adventure, for its pages are crowded with soldiers, knights 
and heroes, baby kings, little girl queens, and boy emperors. 
German History, dating back before Christ, abounds with 
wonderful mythology, romantic exploits, and swift, bold 
deeds; and Miss Yonge begins with the giants of Valhalla and 
comes on down through the noisy days of Wallenstein into 
our own times to Bisinark, who, perhaps, is quite as mighty 
a man as the boldest of the old Captains. 

The book, besides assisting one to understand the whys and 
wherefores of the present geography of Europe, and giving 
an insight into modern European politics, has also an abun¬ 
dance of pictures which affords a good idea of German 
costumes and customs in the early ages. 

Royal Lowrie. 'A Bov’s Book. By Charles R. Talbot. 

Large IGmo. with 12 pen-and-ink pictures by Hopkins. 

Boston: D. Lothrop & Co. Price, $1.25. 

This capitally written story of school and vacation life is 
bound to become a standard in boys’ libraries. It is full of 
fun, and yet not coarse fun. It tells the story of the troubles 
got into and blunders made by half a dozen people, young 
and old, the principal characters being two schoolfellows. 
Royal Lowrie and Archie Bishop. It is an essentially 
“live” book, and the boy who fails to read it loses just so 
much genuine enjoyment. 





NEW PUBLICATIONS. 


The Young Folks’ Bible History. By Charlotte M. 
Yonge. Boston: D. Lotlirop & Co. Price $1.50. No vol¬ 
ume of the past year issued in the interest of children is en¬ 
titled to more particular notice than this. Miss Yonge has 
in its pages put the grand old Bible story into a form which 
the youngest readers can easily comprehend. The language 
is simple and the facts are told in modern style; one great 
stumbling-block to the understanding being thus removed. 
Beginning with the account of the creation, succeeding 
chapters carry along the Scriptural record to the time of the 
prophets, and from their day down to the appearance of the 
Saviour upon the earth. The life and teachings of Jesus 
are especially dwelt upon. The volume is profusely illus¬ 
trated with drawings by English artists. We cannot too 
cordially commend the plan of this work, or the excellent 
manner in which it is carried out. It will be found not only 
valuable for home teaching, but for use in the infant classes 
of Sunday-schools. 

Tiie Prince and the Page. By Charlotte M. Yonge. 
Boston: D. Lotlirop & Co. Price $1.00. Miss Yonge’s 
series of historical novels, The Prince and the Page , Little 
Duke , and The Lances of Lynwood will prove as fascinating 
to young readers as the romances of Walter Scott were to 
their fathers forty years ago. They are based on real 
events, and give vivid pictures of life in England in the 
olden time, when manners and customs, and even the modes 
of speech, were different from those of our day. The author 
has carefully studied her materials and surroundings, and 
these books may be regarded as giving a tolerably faithful 
idea of the times and people they are designed to describe. 

In speaking of the plan of this series the author says: 
“There can be no doubt, in spite of its inevitable faults, 
this style of composition does tend to fix young people’s in¬ 
terest and attention on the scenes it treats of, and to vivify 
the characters it describes.” The action of Prince and Page 
takes place in the reign of Edward I., in the thirteenth cen¬ 
tury, and most of the characters are people of the court. 
The story is based upon the old ballad of “The Blind Beg¬ 
gar’s Daughter of Bethnal Green.” 



r 


By CHARLOTTE M. YONGE. 


Young Folks’ History of Germany, 12 mo. Cloth. 


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Greece, 

U 

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1.50 

U 

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a 

u 

Rome, 


a 

1.50 

u 

a 

u 

4 i 

England, 

u 

u 

1.50 

u 

u 

u 

u 

F RANCE, 

ii 

a 

1.50 

u 

u 

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u 

Bible 

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u 

1.50 


The above six volumes , are bound in Half Russia. Per vol. 2.00 


The Little Duke : Richard the Fearless. 12 mo. Cloth. 1.25 
Lances of Lynnwood : Chivalry in England. 12 mo. Cloth. 1.25 
Prince and Page : The Last Crusade. 12 mo. Cloth. 1.25 

Golden Deeds : Brave and Noble Actions. 12 mo. Cloth. 1.25 


Little Lucy’s Wonderful Globe. Sq. 16 mo. Cloth. 1.25 


***For sale by all Booksellers. Sent post-paid, on receipt of 
price, by 

D. LOTHROP & CO., Boston, Mass. 








THE HOMESPUN SERIES 

BY 

SOPHIA HOMESPUN. 

• 

Ruthie Shaw : Or, The Good Girl. i6mo. 
Illustrated. Price, $1.00. 

Cloth. 

Much Fruit. i6mo. Cloth. Illustrated. 

$l.OO. 

Price 

Blue Eyed Jimmy: Or, The Good Boy. 
Cloth. Illustrated. Price, $1.00. 

16mo. 

Johnny Jones: Or, The Bad Boy. i6mo. 
Illustrated. Price, $1.00. 

Cloth, 

Nattie Nesmith: Or, The Bad Girl. 
Cloth. Illustrated. Price, $1.00. 

i6mo. 

Either or all of the above sent by mail, post-paid* 
on receipt of price. 

D. LOTHROP AND COMPANY. 

30 & 32 Franklin Si., Boston 

May be obtained of Booksellers. 
























